The Bright Bumper – 1926 Patent and Further Details Discovered

In the recent article: A Pretty Woman – A 1929 Buick Roadster – A Bumper Mysterya great deal was learned about this bumper and lamp combo. Since then reader Tin Indian has uncovered more information that follows, along with the patent for the Combined Bumper and Headlight. Today, it is quite rare and a desirable accessory for classic cars built in the 1928-’31 period.

Albert W. Pattison of Scranton, Pennsylvania, was the inventor of the bumper, and filed a patent for it on August 20, 1925. Earlier on July 15, 1925, the Scranton Republican newspaper reported that Ada Bright and four other investors had filed the paperwork to incorporate The Bright Bumper Company. We assume that the bumper was named after Ada.

The lead photo shows the “Packard Bright Bumper” in a 1929 “Packard Accessory Catalog” courtesy of West Peterson.

Patent application drawings for the Combined Bumper and Headlight granted to Albert W. Pattison on September 28, 1926, shows the details of the construction of the combined bumper and lamp unit.

On June 10, 1926, New Castle News published in New Castle, PA, reported that after the Pennsylvania State Highway Department had endorsed the device, The Bright Bumper Company had leased a portion of an old knitting mill… (in New Castle)…. to turn out the bumpers. The endorsement followed a specialtrip by the inventor Albert W. Pattison, who made a special trip to Harrisburg to demonstrate the ‘Bright Bumper’ to Highway Department officials.

The New Castle News reported on October 15, 1926, that a new industry is in operation here although the Auto Bumper Company production can not as of yet meet the demand for over 8,000 bumpers that had been placed….the material used in the bumper is malleable iron….the bumper is offered in a nickel-plated finish along with a black enameled version….the bumper carries a strong appeal to the motorist as it cuts beneath fog….. it is of interest of drivers, who are compelled to drive through curtains of darkness and fog-the bugaboo of drivers.

Further research here has turned up an article that points to the possibility that The Bright Bumper Company might have been unable to get the production facility up-to-speed, sold the design and patent or contracted the manufacturing out to the Warren Tool and Forge Co., of Warren, Ohio. Automotive Industries reported eight months after the New Castle News report above on June 18, 1927, that Warren Tool had introduced the ‘Bright Bumper’ and the ‘Bright Tubular Bumperettes’ that harmonize with the front bumper are provided. The 1929 Buick featured in the earlier post may have been fitted with these rear Bumperettes.

“Automotive Industries” June 18, 1927.

Warren Tool and Forge Co. advertisement in the “Motor” September 1927 issue, was the first of ads found in a number of different auto trade publications over a twelve month period.

Very interesting, Thank You.
In this digital era it isn’t too difficult to imagine someone feeding the patent drawings into a 3D printer with the result being a reproduction of these bumpers. LED lights, of course.

Having watched almost every episode of American Pickers, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were one or two of these around, still in their original box. I am amazed at all the new-in-box automotive parts that they find across the country.

The REAR “bumperettes” SEEM to me like: “BACKUP LIGHTS” #1!, (which, of course became common in later decades, as a welcome feature for long driveways, etc .. ) The “copy ” explains their abilities, but I wonder if ANY of them offered a yellow tint in the glass lens, as an option that somewhere along the way, – became a “standard” for “foglights”. As to “the switch”: a common accessory item was the On-Off FUSED and notched – rotary switch, — which also housed a 6 Volt -3 c.p. PILOT LIGHT in its knob. The switch came with a bracket with a setscrew for the bottom LIP of the metal dashboard. It wasn’t common to wire accesory lights on the earlier Ignition Switch circuit, for ignition reliability’s sake, OR: the vehicle had a DUAL ignition system, such as Trucks & Fire Engines —which is WHY the switch has a pilot light “reminder”. This fused circuit is for Direct Battery Buss connection. Edwin.

I cannot post a photo here but i was surfing the web and came across this bumper with red lights in it on the back of a Packard boatail at the clive cussler auto museum. They have a web page. The car is silver and red with a photo of the rear clearly showing this unique bumper.

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